Directions:

1. Pre-heat over to 350 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Remove and discard seeds. Place squash, cut side down, in a glass dish with 1 inch of water. Bake 45 minutes or just until tender. Shred hot squash with a fork and place in large bowl.

2. Cook ground turkey in a large skillet. Once browned, add Taco Seasoning and mix well.

Tips & Tricks:

– Cutting Squash: Squash can be difficult to cut so sometimes I place it in the microwave, on-high, for a minute or two. This helps soften it, making it easier to cut.

– Baking Squash: You can also place the squash face-down (once cut and seeded) on a baking sheet sprayed lightly with a non-stick cooking spray. I find when baked this way, the ‘noodles’ are slightly more crisp. I prefer the ‘noodles’ to be a little more soft but it is totally your preference.

– Meat: We love our meat but this dish is great without it too! You can also replace the ground turkey with ground beef.

– Additions: You can really add a variety of things to this dish – think fresh diced tomatoes, onions, avocado as a topping, etc.

I love this dish – Spaghetti Squash is easily one of my favorite dishes. Since I am gluten-free, I rarely make noodles but my husband loves all things noodles – Mac & Cheese, Spaghetti, etc. – so this is a great dish to make as a replacement. And, he LOVES it. It tastes great, is healthy and a filling meal.

Tips & Tricks:

– Flax Seed + Water: This is an egg replacement – the original recipe calls for 2 eggs. Another egg replacement is 1/2 of a banana, smashed.

– Chocolate Chips: I used a dairy free version. You could also try making different variations with cinnamon and even pumpkin!

A perfect snow day treat – especially during lent! We enjoyed a snow day yesterday as we accumulated over 10 inches of snow throughout the day (and maybe more). So to start it off, and because Brandon gave up all candy and sweets for lent, I decided that I would make him a yummy breakfast – don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed one too! These waffles are SO good and are on the healthier side than your normal waffle. The recipe I gave is a double batch but you can put these in the freezer for later – just pull out and pop in the toaster for an on-the-go meal. Cheers to hopping for more snow days!

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown rice flour, ½ cup tapioca starch, baking powder, and salt.

In another mixing bowl whisk the flax-seed and water with the coconut oil, 3/4 cup coconut sugar, 1 cup coconut milk and the vanilla extract.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together. Spoon the batter into the preheated doughnut machine (to cool, place on a wire rack).

Place the coconut flakes on a baking sheet, spread in an even layer.Place in the preheated oven and cook for 5-7 minutes or until browned.

While the doughnuts are cooling, prepare the glaze. Place the remaining 1 cup of coconut sugar in a high-powered blender with the remaining 2 teaspoons of tapioca starch and process until it turns into a powder. Pour the mixture into a small bowl, stir with a fork to break up any lumps and add the reaming coconut milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until a thick glaze is achieved. You may need a little more or less than 4 tablespoons.

Crush the coconut flakes with your hand into smaller pieces and place on a plate. Frost each doughnut with some of the glaze then dip the glazed side into the coconut flakes. Set on cooling rack and allow the glaze to dry. Repeat until all your doughnuts are covered.

Tips & Tricks:

– Doughnut Pans: Instead of doughnut pans, I used a doughnut hole/cake pop maker. If using a pan, when you spoon the batter into it, smooth the tops of the doughnuts making sure the post in the middle is free of batter. When you bake them, bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

– Tapioca Starch: My local (natural) grocery store did not have starch so I purchased Tapioca Pearls and put them in the grinder to make starch.

– Flax Seed + Water: This is an egg replacement – the original recipe calls for 2 eggs. Another egg replacement is 1/2 of a banana, smashed – next time I am going to try this because a little banana flavor would make these even better.

– Blender verse Spice Grinder: If using a spice grinder, you will need to do the grinding in 2 batches – ½ cup coconut sugar with 1 teaspoon tapioca starch per batch.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Valentine’s Day always reminds me of doughnuts – when we were growing up, my Dad would have fresh doughnuts waiting on the table for us every Valentine’s Day morning. They, of course, came with a card from both of my parents too. Since my Mom has so many food allergies (Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Egg – just to name a few), she hasn’t been able to enjoy doughnuts for years. So this Valentine’s Day, I decided to change it up and deliver doughnuts to my parents house that my Mom can eat too!

I love this protein shake because it includes one of my favorite things – coffee! Coffee is my go-to drink and, most of the time, a cup of coffee starts my day. Lately though, Brandon and I have been hitting the gym early a few days a week. So instead of coffee starting off my day, I get to start my day with a few of my best friends – free weights, cardio machines and of course, Brandon! But on days like these, I can’t wait to get home and enjoy my coffee – protein shake style!